Characters / The Amazing Race 29

The Amazing Race character index
United States original: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8: Family Edition | 9 | 10 | 11: All-Stars | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18: Unfinished Business | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24: All-Stars | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31: Reality Showdown | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36
Asia: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
China Rush and China: China Rush 1 | 2 | 3 | China 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Australia: 1 | 2 | 3: Australia v New Zealand | 4 | 5 | 6: Around the World | 7: Celebrity Edition
Canada: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6: Heroes Edition | 7 | 8 | 9

The 29th installment of the title series.

This season, like many in the past few years had a theme. This time it was all strangers teaming up. Naturally, there was backlash from the fanbase after the use of strangers teaming up in the past hasn't turned out well. Despite a shaky start with some rather unfortunate eliminations in the first two episodes, the premise far surpassed fans' expectations. The cast was one of the most memorable and charismatic of recent years, with a lot of variety in team dynamics. In addition it was extremely competitive especially when compared to the previous season, which allowed many fans to overcome the issue of the intense fighting often seen. This was best exemplified when a new twist, three Double U-Turns before a Detour were all used in the season. While there were a number of Shocking Eliminations, several of them unfortunately eliminated the best teams remaining in the last few legs leaving an uninspiring Final 3. Compounding that was having one of the most poorly received finales in the race's history and an unpopular winner. Nonetheless, the season ended on a positive note and many fans hope that the strangers twist will be used again in the future.

Teams:

Brooke Cahmi & Scott Flanary (#TeamBrookeAndScott)

Attorney and Harvard University Recruiter and winners of The Amazing Race 29 and easily one of the more controversial winners of The Amazing Race. Either beloved for being competitive and cutthroat with their use of U-Turns and social strategies and huge fandom of the Race or derised for Brooke's unique way of psyching herself up for challenges, it is tough to find anyone who watched the season without an opinion on them. Throughout the Race, they both faced challenges - in particular, Brooke's physical ladle-making Roadblock in Leg 4 earned a lot of both backlash and support online, while Scott had to face his fear of heights in Legs 2, 5, and 9. Despite this, they worked together incredibly well in the last few legs. In the season finale, Brooke and Scott were the 1st team to arrive at Chicagoland Speedway. Despite having issues repairing the racecar wheel and completing a lap in a certain amount of time, Brooke and Scott were able to complete the task first and never gave up the lead once in the final leg thus securing an easy victory for them.

• Aside Glance: Scott does this every episode, whether on Confession Cams or during the race itself.
• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: The two argued a lot during the first three legs, but Leg 4 went on to show the two's actual affection towards one another, with Scott actively encouraging Brooke during the challenge, and the two even hugging upon her finishing, with him saying how proud he was of her. It should be noted from that leg onward, while the two still fought occasionally, it was nowhere near as bad as the start.
• Cute, but Cacophonic: Both of them. This is why some fans found them irritating. Brooke was prone to scream so loud and caustically that Scott likened it to childbirth, and Scott could simper and equally belt shrill yells like her.
• Don't Look Back: As soon as Brooke and Scott finished the Chicagoland Speedway task first in the finale, they never lost the lead and easily won the Race.
• The Load: Brooke reached Flo level whining starting in Leg 4.
  Scott: Well maybe you should jump on my back so we can run faster.
• Manipulative Editing: A lot of Brooke’s whining is understandable if you know that she’d had back surgery a mere six months before filming and wasn’t back to 100%. However, this was never brought up in the show.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: As Scott points out, Brooke practically gave London & Logan and Matt & Redmond the ladders in the Leg 9 Roadblock.
• Oh, Crap!: Brooke upon realising that she would have to complete the ladle making roadblock in Leg 4
• Screams Like a Little Girl: Oh boy, did Scott scream when he bungee jumped off the Corinth Canal bridge at the road block in leg 9.
• So Proud of You: Scott after Brooke finished ahead of 2 other teams in the Roadblock on Leg 7 despite arriving last.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: There were times when they were shrieking in frustration. Luckily, it got better after Leg 4, and only continued to improve with each leg after.
• Tempting Fate: When they were going to the Roadblock location in leg 9, Scott prayed that it won't be bungee jumping.
• Twofer Token Minority: Does ginger and homosexual count for Scott?
• Underdogs Never Lose
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Heights for Scott. He got stuck with literally every heights based Roadblock in the race
  • Leg 2 Roadblock, which involved rappelling down a building, was his worst nightmare.
  • And again in the wood climbing Roadblock in Norway, though he fared much better this time. It's worth noting that - had Becca & Floyd not beaten them to it, Brooke & Scott would have done the skydiving Fast Forward in Norway instead.
  • Then in Greece he had to bungee jump.
  Scott: Why do I keep getting all the fucking heights ones!?
• You Fight Like a Cow: During the Street Fighter V challenge in Leg 11, Scott constantly mocked his opponent.

Tara Carr & Joey Covino (#TeamMomAndDad)

Army Parachutist and Police Sergeant. They were initially brushed off by the fans due to Joey being the last to finish the Starting Line task and finishing with mediocre placements. Once they were able to catch up to the other teams, they became a permanent part of the top of the pack alongside Matt & Redmond and Becca & Floyd. Entering into the final leg, they were considered to be the favorites to win the Race after the latter two were eliminated. However, during the Chicago Landmarks task, Tara and Joey went to a wrong location when searching for the Chicago Water Tower which eventually cost them the Race as they finished in 2nd.

• Global Ignorance: Joey was the only one to not get the Panamanian flag on his 1st try in the Starting Line task. Later, Phil poked fun at Joey by showing him a giant flag of Panama at the Pit Stop.
• Grumpy Old Man: During the Street Fighter V Roadblock in Leg 11, when Tara kept losing, Joey started to insult the E-Sports players and their hobby. After completing the challenge, Tara stated that she despised video games and would be upset if she lost the Race because of a video game.
• Loophole Abuse: They were able to use the U-Turn twice due to the fact racers don't have to us their "Courtesy Of" sticker on the Blind U-Turn. However, many fans don't know of this loophole so it led many fans to think this was a case of New Rules as the Plot Demands
• Poke the Poodle: In the finale, Joey yelled out, "Go Red Sox!" to a bunch of Cubs fans at Wrigley Field, however Joey was just joking around.
• Read The Freaking Clue: They failed to take the 3rd mannequin the Leg 9 Detour, resulting in their last place.
  • Compounded when they didn't check the height of their destination in the Chicago Landmarks task. This meant they went first to the Chicago Temple [1] instead of the Chicago Water Tower, sealing their fate.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons: U-Turning Seth & Olive was a strategically smart move, but they seemed to have U-Turned them because they were personally upset Seth & Olive were doing so well.
• Scrub: Tara had the most difficult time playing Street Fighter V in Leg 11 and lost over 50 times during the challenge.
• Southies: Joey is a police sergeant for the city of Boston, and has the accent to match.
• Team Mom and Team Dad: Named as such by the show's #EngineeredHashtag
• Took a Level in Badass: Joey was the last to arrive after the starting line task and they finished poorly in the first 2 legs. Starting at leg 3, they became one of the biggest threats to win.
• Throw the Dog a Bone: When Joey was the last one to complete the Starting Line task, Tara chose him as her partner.

London Kaye & Logan Bauer (#TeamLoLo)

Street Artist and Orthopedic Device Representative. In a season where there were a lot of big characters, both good and bad, they never really stuck out. Them constantly placing in the middle of the pack and a lack of conflict left them to be one of the most Out of Focus teams in the history of the race. Had they won, London and Logan would have had one of the worst finish averages among Amazing Race winners. In the final leg, London and Logan were the last team to arrive at the Chicagoland Speedway challenge, but London had issues replacing the racecar's wheel while Logan couldn't complete the lap in time. They couldn't catch up to the other two teams in Chicago and finished the Race in 3rd.

• Beginner's Luck: London never played video games before the Street Fighter V task in Leg 11, but was able to be the 1st racer to beat the challenge by simply mashing random buttons.
• Birds of a Feather: Were probably the best-matched team of the entire competition, getting along extremely well and having pretty similar personalities.
• Camera Obscurer: In the final challenge, London was looking through the binoculars and couldn't really help out Logan with the numbers on the scoreboard until she found out that she had the binocular lens on.
• Chekhov's Skill: Subverted. In Leg 3, London's artistic profession did not prove useful at the "Weave It" Detour. And thus, she and Logan switched to the "Build It" detour.
• Even the Guys Want Him
  Phil Keoghan: Well apparently you're pretty easy to look at too. [Beat] According to London—I didn't say it.
• Mr. Fanservice / Ms. Fanservice: Both removed their tank tops for the "Scoot" Detour in Leg 1. Later at the mat, Phil lampshaded London's lovely eyes and both being easy to look at.
• Out of Focus: They started getting some characterization around Leg 9, but never received any real significant camera time. They've received the least amount of camera time of anyone in the final 3 since Jeremy & Sandy
• Politeness Judo: London throughout Leg 10, she made up with Brooke & Scott at the Pit Stop and kept apologizing to the locals Logan accidentally bumped into.

Matt Ladley & Redmond Ramos (#TheBoys)

Professional snowboarder and Iraqi veteran. Redmond Ramos was the 2nd Amazing Race contestant to race with a prosthetic leg after he lost it in an IED explosion. Redmond initially left a bad impression on the fanbase with being competitive to the point of outright hostility. Though this was quickly dropped and fans warmed up to him when he output his competitive nature in a more healthy way and took his missing leg in good humor. Throughout the Race, Matt and Redmond had dominated the competition and were one of the favorites to win the whole thing after finishing in the top 2 from Legs 5-10. However, in Leg 11, they took a risk by traveling to downtown Seoul via subway instead of taxi and missed a transfer line. They then fell even more behind by having a bad taxi. Eventually, due to Tara's struggles on the Street Fighter V Roadblock, Matt and Redmond caught up, but Tara was eventually able to finish the Roadblock as she and Joey made it to the pit stop thus causing the Boys to fall short of the final 3.

• The Ace: The Boys have placed high on almost all of the legs thus far.
  • In Leg 1, they were the only team to complete the Scoot side of the Detour on their first try, beating a team of professional canoers without any handicaps.
  • In Leg 3, they overtook teams at the Detour despite the U-Turn and finished 4th out of 9 teams.
• Always Second Best: Despite being arguably the strongest team of the season so far, they have yet to finish 1st.
  • Finally subverted in Leg 7 where they come in first
• Ambiguous Syntax: "Good Job, Donkey" gives us this...
  Matt: Only a couple of weeks ago I-I met this guy with a carbon-fiber leg named Redmond.
  Redmond: What was the name of the other leg?
  Matt: First place.
• Drama-Preserving Handicap: Invoked by Redmond on Leg 10. He points out that no matter how hard he tries to not let his prosthetic leg hold him back, there are some things that will be harder without his leg, like rowing a boat with his feet.
• Failed a Spot Check: During the Leg 2 Roadblock, Redmond missed a spot on his window. Since you can't rappel upward, he had to go all the way back down, up, and down again to clean it, costing him and Matt first place.
• Foregone Conclusion: They were pretty much done for in the first 10 minutes of the episode they were eliminated in.
• Hurricane of Puns: Redmond finally got the chance to do this after he and Matt won Leg 7.
• Hypocrite: Redmond claims to hate drama, yet he was stirring it up with Vanck & Ashton early in the race.
• Inspirationally Disadvantaged: Redmond lost a leg after stepping on an IED.
• Jerkass: Redmond's Trash Talk to Vanck & Ashton after being U-Turned, particularly when he stated that only weak teams U-Turn, made him come across as this. He dropped this after the incident though
• Laser-Guided Karma: Abandoning Vanck & Ashton backfired on them after their cab took them to the wrong place.
  • Taken even further in Leg 3 when they got U-Turned.
• Lethal Joke Character: They might've been very humorous throughout the race but they were easily one of the toughest teams of the season
• Manly Tears: Redmond after feeling bad his mistake cost them first place.
• Pet the Dog: Redmond motivated Brooke during her breakdown on Leg 5
• Pun: At the Pit Stop, Redmond revealed he had a joke planned if they won Leg 2. Phil Keoghan would've told them they won Leg 2 and Redmond would ask "Where is it?" as a joke to his prosthetic leg.
• Satellite Character: Matt has become this, despite choosing Redmond as his partner when he had second pick at the very beginning of the race.
• Shoo Out the Clowns: Their elimination left a final 3 of either boring or unlikable teams
• Took a Level in Kindness: From Leg 4 on, Redmond stopped being the Jerkass he acted like early on

Rebecca "Becca" Droz & Floyd Pierce (#TeamFun)

Rock Climbing Instructor and College Drum Major. They quickly became the big personalities of the season for their Fun Personified natures leading to being the fan-favorites. This attitude didn't hinder their abilities as despite a couple of hitches, they were consistently one of the stronger teams. After getting on the first bus in Leg 10, they looked to be in a comfortable position. However, Floyd struggled tremendously on the bicycle Roadblock, as he dropped many shrimp traps along the way and had to retrieve them. To make things worse, the entire leg was run on bicycles so he was too tired to continue and collapsed due to heatstroke. Eventually the medical team had to intervene, but by then their race was all but over and Phil had to come and eliminate them in 5th. However through their fun-natured dynamics and rather a strong performance, they were invited back for season 31.

• Ascended Fanboy: College-aged Floyd had been watching the race since he was in the fifth grade.
• Beware the Silly Ones: Becca swung at Floyd for losing his passport.
  • In Leg 6, even they took part in the plan with the other teams in taking out Vanck & Ashton.
• Broken Pedestal: Floyd lost a lot of Becca's trust after losing his passport.
  • Rebuilt Pedestal: Despite this, she soon got over it, and the two remained good friends even after the race, with them eventually deciding to race together again.
• Chekhov's Gun: In Leg 3, their taxi driver was shown handing them his business card. It became relevant when Floyd realized he had dropped his passport in the taxi.
• Chekhov's Skill: In Leg 2, Floyd's drum major proved to be just that when they went to the "keep the beat" detour.
  • In Leg 6, Becca was excited to climb a rock wall since she's a rock climbing instructor.
• Disaster Dominoes: Floyd losing his baskets on the Roadblock made him have to redo the entire task in the hot Vietnamese sun. This added pressure wore him out on the physically intensive leg. Then for the last domino, he collapsed on the bike from heat exhaustion to the point he couldn't continue.
• Establishing Character Moment: One of their first moments together onscreen involved them yelling excitedly over finding the Express Pass in Floyd's suitcase (Even though they ended up not using it).
• Failed a Spot Check: Floyd losing his passport in the 3rd leg, which brought "Team Fun" from 5th to 8th place.
• Fun Personified: Becca even has a "Fun Meter" button (always set to maximum), and the show even dubbed them "Team Fun".
• Heroic Red Ring of Death: Floyd suffered a bout of heatstroke in the middle of the bicycling challenge of Vietnam due to dropping the baskets and having to do everything from the top. This brought an unfortunate end to his and Becca's game because Floyd couldn't recover in time to resume the challenge and every other team managed to finish. Phil respectfully came to check up on them, and despite having to tell them they had been eliminated by default, congratulated them for making it as far as they did.
• Jaw Drop: After getting 3rd despite taking the Fast Forward
• Keet: Floyd of course. Just look how excited he gets when getting the express pass. And Becca has her moments of being a Genki Girl.
• Large Ham: Both of them.
• Mercy Kill: Of the non-lethal variety. There was no way that Floyd would have been able to continue racing in Vietnam due to heatstroke, so Phil had to come out and eliminate them while they were still on the course.
• Perpetual Smiler: Seeing as they were named Team Fun, they naturally ran their race with smiles on their faces, even when in danger of elimination in Leg 8.
• Shoo Out the Clowns: Becca and Floyd were the jokers, and it was a Running Gag that they would regularly check the "Fun Meter" to see if they were enjoying themselves. They made it very far into the game, but petered out right before the last few stages.

Michael Rado & Liz Espey (#TeamLizAndMike)

Auctioneer and Butcher. Their poor sense of direction nearly got them eliminated on the first leg (they finished last but were saved by Kevin and Jenn's penalty), but somehow managed to win the next two legs. They established themselves as a solid team until falling apart in Norway, as Mike's refusal to listen to Liz during the Detour caused them to finish in last, but it was a keep on racing leg. They finished in last again in Venice two legs later, but this time it was a non-elimination leg. With a Speed Bump ahead of them in Greece, everything that could go wrong for them did. First, they missed a turn, and Mike refused to turn around despite Liz's urging. Then they discovered that they were U-Turned, and Mike didn't take his own goat during the For the Groom side of the Detour, forcing them to redo it. And while they were still slightly ahead of Becca and Floyd (the other U-Turned team), it was ultimately the Speed Bump that did them in, as it allowed Team Fun to pass them up, eliminating them in 6th.

• Born Lucky: They've been saved from elimination 3 times so far thanks to Kevin & Jenn screwing up and non-elimination legs. At least until leg 8, anyway.
• Chekhov's Hobby: Michael's profession as a butcher helped him secure a halal chicken during the Leg 3 Roadblock.
  • This again helped him and Liz at their Speed bump in Leg 8, which involved tying animal intestines around a meat kabob much to Liz's disgust.
• Disqualification-Induced Victory: They were saved from being eliminated first due to Kevin & Jenn recieving a 2 hour penalty for not completing the Roadblock.
• Expository Hairstyle Change: Michael revealed he started growing his beard 3 years ago after quitting his last job.
• Foreshadowing: In the beginning of the Leg 5/Leg 6 two-parter, Mike acknowledged their poor directional abilities, which came to a head in Leg 6.
• Fatal Family Photo: They both had breakdowns between legs 6 and 7 because they missed their families Subverted as it was a Non-Elimination leg.
• Hidden Depths: Michael has an IQ near 140.
• Hope Spot: They think they found an elevator to the Pit Stop, but it was an elevator to the next parking garage level. Subverted as it was a superleg.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Both could be pretty cruel towards each other, but interactions they had throughout the race(especially the beginning of Leg 5) showed the two genuinely had grown to like one another, with them even ultimately comparing each other to siblings later on.
• Lamarck Was Right: Michael came from a long line of carpenters. He and Liz finished the "Build It" Detour in Leg 3 in 2nd place.
  • Also allowed him to get through the metal working Roadblock in leg 4 quickly
• Like Brother and Sister: Said this at the end.
• Miracle Rally: Despite starting in last place (10th), they managed to win 1st place in Leg 2. And for good measure, they won Leg 3 as well.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Both of them helped Brooke in two separate Roadblocks (Liz in the mask painting Roadblock, and Michael during the ladle-making Roadblock in Dar es Salaam), but ended up being U-Turned by her and Scott anyway.
  • They also had this reaction during Leg 7, when Michael complained about London & Logan not helping them to look for the street sweeper, after Michael and Liz helping London & Logan the past few legs.
• No Sense of Direction: This was one of the issues they faced in the first leg, and it nearly derailed their race.
  • Again in Leg 5 when they struggled with the heavily direction based Detour. This time they were saved by a Superleg.
  • They missed a turn in leg 8 and Mike refused to turn around, costing them valuable time. This was one of many factors that caused their elimination.
• Pet the Dog: Both of them willingly helped Brooke at two different points in the race for no personal benefit.
• Read the Freaking Clue: In Leg 8 during the "For the Groom" detour, BOTH Liz and Mike each had to bring a goat down from a plight of stairs; however, they had to go back up again just so that Mike could get his goat from the shepard.
• Reality Show Genre Blindness: Mike and Liz fully knew how bad their navigation was yet they chose the firework detour which was heavily direction based over the fishing detour which had no direction aspect at all.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Mike constantly bickered with Liz, and Liz constantly bickered with Mike. Quite possibly, these two were the biggest mismatch because they could get really personal and bitter and played host to some of the ugliest quarrels of the groups.

Vanck Zhu & Ashton Theiss (#TeamVanckAndAshton)

Wall Street Analyst and Real Estate Agent. Out of all of the teams they were easily the most polar opposite team on the race. This dynamic between the two led them to working together well on some legs and falling apart on other resulting in roller coaster placements. In Leg 6, they got off to a good start, but couldn't find the cluebox for the Detour and ran back and forth looking for it. Any chance of them catching up was ruined by them being U-Turned and they were eliminated.

• All of the Other Reindeer: At their final leg, the rest of the teams were plotting against them through the use of the Double U-Turn to take them out.
  • Vanck especially, because not even his own teammate seemed willing to work with him.
• Asian and Nerdy: Vanck, a Wall Street analyst.
  Vanck: I love thinking about multiple timelines, are we alone in the universe, does the outside world exist, are we brains in a vat?
• Control Freak: Ashton is an especially bad case, often not allowing Vanck to make his own decisions.
• Downer Ending: Vanck and Ashton were ganged up on by the majority of the teams due to them being viewed as "annoying." One of Vanck's last quotes before his elimination was, "I always wanted to be a Beautiful Something."
  • Despite this, Vanck arguably had a decent experience in the race proper overall, clearly having fun at several points despite his mismatched partner.
• Enemy Mine: They worked better in Leg 2 after being 'wronged' by Matt & Redmond
• Failed a Spot Check: They left their fanny pack (with their passports) at the roadblock on Leg 5, and had to go back to retrieve it.
• Gender-Blender Name: Ashton
• Jerkass: Ashton, who is arguably just as aggressive as Redmond, the person she held a grudge against after the 2nd Leg.
• It's Personal: Their reason for U-Turning Matt & Redmond. Or more accurately, it was Ashton's reason.
• Never My Fault: Ashton never listens to Vanck, and whenever they mess up, she's usually quick to blame him.
• Reality Show Genre Blindness: Ashton refused to wait for Vanck to Google the location of the royal doors in the Leg 4 roadblock
• No Sense of Direction: In Leg 6 to the point that U-Turning them made no difference
• Satellite Character: Vanck didn't get nearly as much Ashton.
• Too Many Halves: Lampshaded. Vanck said he's 120% happy he chose Ashton even though it's mathematically impossible.
• You Can't Miss It: Vanck told Ashton to make a 135-degree right turn when Ashton was driving in Panama.

Shamir Arzeno & Sara Fowler (#TheSAndSExpress)

Bank Associate and Realtor. After a reasonable placement in the first leg, they revealed themselves to have a terrible team dynamic with Shamir being very accident prone and freaking out whenever he got hurt and Sara being very catty and controlling. Their race dissolved in Leg 4 in Zanzibar when they struggled on the "Royal Doors" Detour, searching for the doors with bad directions for over an hour. They switched, but this still cost them the ferry with the other teams. Despite getting through their other Detour just fine, by the time they reached the Roadblock, everyone had left. Shamir struggled with the difficult metal working Roadblock and Phil came to the location to eliminate them in 8th place.

• Control Freak: Sara.
• Foregone Conclusion: Once the ferry left without them, they were dead men walking
• Groin Attack: Shamir experienced this in Leg 2 thanks to his rappelling harness.
• Mercy Kill: Non-lethal variety, their elimination was more of Phil putting them out of their misery.
• Minor Injury Over Reaction
  • While hurting your privates is undeniably painful, Shamir considered quitting the Roadblock after that injury even though he was cleared by the medical team. He was racing to avoid last place.
  • In Leg 3, Shamir freaked out about getting a splinter during the "Build It" Detour.
• Nice Guy: Despite his limited screentime, Shamir was actually decently popular among his fellow contestants, even getting along pretty well with Scott.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Which got worse as the race progressed
• That's Gotta Hurt: During the window cleaning roadblock in Sao Paulo, Shamir injured his privates from having his rappel suit on too tight.

Seth Tyler & Olive Beauregard (#TeamAmerica)

Police Officer and Firefighter. Their teamwork managed to win them the first leg of the race and place in 4th in the second. However, they were Blind U-Turned by Tara & Joey in the third leg, and their struggles with the weaving task in that Detour, which they were forced to complete, led to them being eliminated in 9th place.

• Decoy Protagonist: They were quickly set up as the team to beat in the first leg...Only to actually get beaten in Leg 3.
• Failed a Spot Check: Literally, when at the roadbloack in São Paulo, Brazil (Leg 2), Seth missed a spot on his window. And since he couldn't rappel himself back up, he to go down and go back up all over again. Thus allowing Liz to finish the roadblock first, followed by Ashton.
• Incompatible Orientation: Seth told Olive he was gay on the way to the airport. Tara, not knowing, asked Olive if there was any sort of romantic spark between them, to which Olive replied she wasn’t his type.
• Manly Gay: Police officer Seth was the first racer to complete the Starting Line task, and he and Olive won the first leg.
• Tall Poppy Syndrome: Becoming the first team and winning the first leg compounded to their being perceived as the team to beat. Tara & Joey cited them being a threat as a reason for the U-Turn.

Jessie Shields & Francesca Piccoli (#SwoleSisters)

K-9 Police Officer and Army Officer. The two formed a very fast friendship after meeting. Surprisingly though, despite both being incredibly athletic and getting along great, they put on an uninspiring 2 legs. After placing 9th on the first leg, they had a disastrous 2nd leg. Their low placement on the previous leg doomed them to a late flight and they couldn't find the woman on the marked bicycle for an unbelievably long time. This delay was long enough that even Shamir injuring himself and taking 5 attempts to finish the Roadblock couldn't fix and they were eliminated in 10th place.

• Bittersweet Ending: They got eliminated very early, but they were both grateful to have met each other and promise to stay friends after the show.
• Failed a Spot Check: Twice in their last leg.
  • First was when they took forever to find the woman on the bicycle, even when she was right behind them.
  • Second was when Francesca missed a spot on the window, ruining their only chance to catch up.
• No Sense of Direction: Francesca led a group that included Jessie the wrong way during the Starting Line task, resulting in both being among the last to finish.
• Statuesque Stunner: At 6'3", Jessie stands taller than most of her male competitors.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Jessie shut down Francesca's input on directions during the Starting Line task, prompting an Aside Comment from Francesca on her feistiness. They were hesitant on being paired by default after this incident, but agreed they were a match made in heaven by the end of Leg 1. They then state that they're still friends and had a good time even though they only lasted for two legs.

Kevin Ng & Jenn Lee (#LongHairDontCare)

Model and Athletic Trainer. From the start, they seemed to have been one of the better matches as they never argued once despite their frequent struggles. As soon as they hit Panama City, they went in a downward spiral. They got lost twice, and by they time they reached the Detour, it was too dark to continue. Despite that, they made it to the mat in 10th, but they had to serve a 2 hour penalty for being unable to complete the Detour, allowing the only trailing team, Michael & Liz, to catch up and send them home.

• Hope Spot: Michael & Liz got lost en route to the mat, but not long enough for their penalty to expire first.
• Like Brother and Sister: Mid-leg, Jenn joked they were supposed to be bickering.
• No Sense of Direction: They got lost in Panama City worse than the other teams, which was the reason for their elimination.
• The Pollyanna: Despite their early elimination, they seemed like a very positive and friendly team overall.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Very unfortunate seeing how they got along so well and had seemed to have more personality than most of the teams.